Swimming Kick sets ?

Our master's coach has us do some of our kicks set on our back that we if we see our knees before our toes we are not kicking with straight legs.  I think doing kick only sets among other things allows you to focus on your kick while not worring about breathing/pulling, etc.

Me too - I have to use Zipp fins or I will be there ALL day and exhausting myself.  I need to work on flexability and/or kick technique.

I figure kick sets are to make sure you train the kick as well.  Don't want it to get "forgotten" with focus on the catch and pull of the upper body.

Edited by Aikidoman 2008-02-22 3:45 PM

A good kick makes you a better overall swimmer. While some will debate how much and how hard you should kick during a triathlon swim leg, nobody will dispute that being a better swimmer isn't a good thing.

Fins are a good investment for helping with your kick sets. Little short stubby ones are fine.

It's good to focus on just kicking because you should know what is an effective kick and what isn't. Just like doing catch up drills focus on your arms / body position, kicking allows you to focus on your legs / leg position.

For triathlons, you don't need the best kick, but you will want to make sure your legs aren't limiting your swim speed. At the very least, your kick should give you a bit of propulsion without creating any unnecessary wiggle movement in your body.

One of the kicking drills I do is maintain a streamline position, and practice rolling side-to-side from the hips while focusing on keeping the body as straight as possible. The more your legs splay or swish back and forth, the more drag will be created. So strictly kicking will help you strengthen your body's alignment.